Diamondbacks club four homers in first two innings, cruise past Rockies

Colorado Rockies catcher Dom Nunez, front, looks on as Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker, center, celebrates his two-run home run with Ketel Marte in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)(Photo: David Zalubowski/AP)

DENVER – Jarrod Dyson homered on the second pitch of the game during a five-run first inning and was later involved in a quirky double play as the Arizona Diamondbacks cruised to a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

It was Dyson’s third career leadoff homer – all this season. Christian Walker and Nick Ahmed also homered in the first, and David Peralta added one in the second off Jeff Hoffman (1-4), who was making an emergency start following Jon Gray’s late scratch due to left ankle soreness. Hoffman surrendered seven runs over two innings.

The strangest play of the night was on an inning-ending double play in the eighth that involved tagging out two Diamondbacks runners caught in rundowns. With runners on first and third, Dyson grounded a ball to first baseman Daniel Murphy, who trapped Ahmed between third and home. Ahmed was eventually tagged out and Dyson, who had broken toward second, eventually was tagged out going back to first.

The play was officially scored almost like the winning lottery numbers: 3-4-3-1-8.

Ahmed finished a double shy of the cycle in sending the Diamondbacks to their fifth straight win over Colorado. They’re averaging 5.67 runs a game against Colorado since 2011, which marks the highest average of any team against a divisional opponent over that span.

This was a rough outing for the Rockies on “Bark at the Park” night at Coors Field, where fans brought their dogs and a pregame pup parade was held around the warning track.

Wearing teal-colored cleats, Arizona starter Zac Gallen threw four solid innings before his pitch count reached 90 and he was taken out. The right-hander allowed two runs in his second start for Arizona since being acquired from Miami on July 31.

Arizona’s bullpen turned in another solid outing, with Kevin Ginkel (1-0) earning the win by throwing two scoreless frames.

Rockies catcher Dom Nuñez hit a solo shot in the eighth to become the seventh player in franchise history to homer during his major league debut. Nunez had his contracted selected from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game.